Meet Niralli

May I be like a guard for those who are without protector, a guide for those who journey a road, and for those who wish to go across the water, may I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.

- Shantideva

I see therapy as a journey and believe that each client holds an inner compass to their own healing. I operate from the belief that each of us is fundamentally whole. Throughout our lives we have experiences that lead us to disconnect from our own internal resources. As a holistic psychotherapist, my job is to help you reconnect with your innate source of wisdom to help strengthen and nourish your sense of self. This becomes the foundation for building healthy relationships and creating the life that you desire.

I have helped individuals resolve grief and trauma, overcome anxiety and depression, recover from addictions, and achieve their career and relationship goals. I have helped couples improve communication skills and develop deeper intimacy. I earned my MA in Somatic Psychology at John F. Kennedy University’s School of Holistic Studies in 2009 and have since become a certified Ecotherapist and Practitioner and teacher of energy healing modality Syntara System. I am currently in private practice at the Oakland Holistic Psychotherapy Center.

My Journey

Before becoming a therapist I was a bodyworker. I loved doing hands on healing work but after 10+ years my body couldn’t sustain it. I also knew that I needed to develop more skills if I was going to be able to work with what came up on the table and help guide people through the deeper layers of their healing process. Meanwhile I was engaged in my own healing journey of recovering from childhood trauma. Diving deep into my yoga and dance practice, receiving bodywork, and learning from amazing spiritual teachers allowed me to regain a sense of safety and presence in my own body.

I learned that with spacious awareness all aspects of experience could be reintegrated into a sense of wholeness and that this process of integration is really what healing is all about. This made becoming a holistic therapist an easy choice for me, so I chose to attend the Somatic Psychology program at JFKU’s School of Holistic Studies. Getting my Master’s Degree was only the beginning of my journey to become a therapist.

There were many times that I questioned this path because of my conflicts with the way that the field of mental health has pathologized people instead of the systems and culture that create so much suffering. I decided that the best way for me to work was to ally with my clients and learn from them about what they most needed for their growth and development. I found that each new experience I had taught me so much about life, myself, and the human condition.

I spent years doing play therapy with kids from two to eighteen. I learned so much about the magic of imagination, the power of safe and appropriate boundaries, and the innate impetus we as humans have towards healing. Working with children taught me about resilience and the innate goodness of our hearts. This served me well when I began working with people struggling with active substance abuse and all of the accompanying traumas that were at the root of their addictions. So many times my heart has been blown open by the struggles that people have shared with me coupled with the true beauty and capacity for love that remains untouched.

Being witness to the healing journeys of my clients has transformed me in profound ways. It has taught me how to listen, how to show up and get out of the way. It has taught me how to not take things personally and how to get comfortable with difficult situations and emotions. It has increased my capacity for presence and compassion and challenged me to tell the truth even when it is difficult. Each client I have worked with has touched my heart deeply and helped me to become the person I am today.